St. Clare’s School for Girls is San Francisco’s most prestigious finishing school, a place where younger generations of the rich and powerful come to train for a life of luxury. It’s also Mercy Wong’s best chance to break from the poverty of Chinatown and secure a safe, happy future for herself and her younger brother. But can a 15-year-old launderer’s daughter rise above her circumstances—especially in 1906, when nearly insurmountable racial and economic barriers stand in the way?